FAQ

If you miss a final exam in December, it is critical to follow these steps:

1. Submit a Request for approval via the Student Absence Portal within 48 hours of your missed exam: All exam absences must be supported by the Advising Team through the Student Absence Portal. Reminder that virtual clinics are often same day and can be the quick option for supporting medical documentation, if your family doctor doesn’t have appointments.
2. Attend the Make-Up Exam if You Haven’t Received a Response: If your request for accommodation has not been approved before the make-up exam date, you must attend the make-up exam to avoid losing the opportunity to pass the course. Due to high volume, responses may be delayed. Please do not submit multiple tickets to the Help Portal or the Student Absence Portal, it will only slow the request.
3. Grade Release Process:
   • If your accommodation request is approved, your grade will be released
   • If your accommodation is denied, your grade from the make-up exam will not be released.

You can’t continue in the next course, so you will need to drop that course and take it another time. Some departments may allow special permission to stay in the course(s), so check with them. No late adds will be allowed, so plan accordingly.

January 15, 2026

January 22, 2026

January 13, 2026. Need a special permission? You must get these processed well before the deadline – no late adds will be allowed.

January 30, 2026. The course will show as a WDN on your record (withdrawn). No academic penalty is associated with a WDN – it just means you dropped by the deadline. After this date, it will show as an 'F.'

vYou can't switch in January. You must wait until Intent To Register (ITR) in March and pick the module you want.

You will need to reapply to Western. Please contact Western Admissions.

Check Brightspace for an announcement. Reach out to your professor or go to the undergraduate office in that department. Most make-up exams are the first and second week back to school in January. Not knowing the exam date is not an acceptable excuse for missing it.

If your request for accommodation has not been approved before the make-up exam date, you must attend the make-up exam to avoid losing the opportunity to pass the course. Due to high volume, responses may be delayed. Please do not submit multiple tickets to the Help Portal or the Student Absence Portal, it will only slow the request. If your request is approved your instructor will release your mark.

Your exam takes priority. Check the course outline of class in conflict - if you need approval to miss the component (class, lab, tutorial), submit a ticket through the Student Absence Portal.

Depending on the department they will have a solution already. Please speak to the department hosting the exams first, and only submit an Student Absence Portal request if an exam still needs to be moved.

Create a help desk ticket under special permissions – make sure the course isn’t full or in conflict. Someone will get back to you soon. Go to that class to ensure you don’t miss anything. If approved, you must add the course by the add deadline listed in the academic calendar.

You can’t continue in the next course, so you will need to drop that course and take it another time. Some departments may allow special permission to stay in the course(s), so check with them. No late adds will be allowed, so plan accordingly.

January 13, 2026. Need a special permission? You must get these processed well before the deadline – no late adds will be allowed.

January 30, 2026. The course will show as a WDN on your record (withdrawn). No academic penalty is associated with a WDN, it just means you dropped by the deadline. After this date, it will show as an 'F.'

January 15, 2026

January 22, 2026

March 30, 2026. A course dropped by this date will result in a grade of ‘WDN’ (withdrawn, without academic penalty). Course withdrawals after this date will appear on a transcript with a grade of ‘F.’

You need a grad check but have left the request very late. Please read the details on this page and review your module requirements in the academic calendar.

If you are in a single module, or two modules from the same department, contact your department. Otherwise, submit a grad check through our help portal, but be aware we may not be able to get to it before the add deadline.

You will need to provide supporting documentation. Submit a ticket through the Student Absence Portal. If you are unable to access the course (if it's from a previous year/term), then submit a ticket through the Academic Advising Help Portal to discuss.

You should visit the faculty you are interested in joining. During Intent To Register (ITR) in March, you can select that faculty.

Keep checking to see if spaces open before the deadline to add. Need a Special Permission? You must get these processed before the deadline - no late adds will be allowed.

You will need to reapply to Western. Please contact Western Admissions.